In the first 6 parts we have seen that divisions among the church are condemned and the unity of the church as one body is emphasized repeatedly.
We also saw in part 6 that the names of the books can lead one to false conclusions. If we simply read what is there instead of the name of the book then we will have a clearer view of what the Word of God says instead of what man has chosen to say about it.
That is far from being a distinction without a difference. The Word of God is inspired. What anyone, myself or anyone else, says about it is not.
When man comes up with ideas that contradict what the Word of God says, we already saw he is to be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
So here we see a difference between Ephesians and Philippians. Paul includes the saints and, in a separate line, the overseers and deacons (bishops and deacons in the King James) in a greeting that is from himself and Timotheus as a unit. (1:1)
When he discusses his memory of them, he then admits to being in fellowship to them because they have fellowship in the gospel (v. 5).
It is generally held that this book was written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. It seems a reasonable assumption since he mentions his bonds, the palace, and the saints of Caesars household. That puts an interesting light on this passage.
Paul considers not only himself to be in fellowship with the Philippians, but also those who preach the gospel (1:14), including interestingly enough those who preach out of envy and strife (vs. 15-19).
So where is the fellowship of which he speaks? We see the answer in 2:1. It is in the Spirit. So our fellowship includes the element of being in the Holy Spirit, just as we earlier saw it includes a shared faith.
He later points out that one way he knows Timotheus seeks Christ is because Timotheus shares Paul's concern for the Philippians (2:18-21).
Epaphroditus was a messenger from the Philippians to Paul, but was Paul's brother. (v. 25). Whether it be Timotheus, Epaphroditus, the Philippians or Paul, they all fall under the same admonition (3:14-17) in the admonition to walk by the same rule.
We know little about Eudodias and Syntyche other than that they were admonished to be of the same mind (4:2). We do see that many people were fellow laborers with Paul, Clement, and other laborers (4:3). All are commended for being in the book of life.
This seems to be one of those fine opportunities to point out their membership in a specific congregation but instead we find them grouped in unity in the book of life.
I suppose we could have pointed to the grouping of all believers under the umbrella of church from 3:6, but we covered that previously.
We do see again that there are definitely congregations located in specific geographic areas (4:15) and we see they are all saints (4:21-22). The only differentiations are "the brethren which are with me" and "chiefly they that are of Caesar's household".
Paul of course was imprisoned. Those of Caesar's household clearly were not.
To which congregation did each belong? The only thing we know is they were all saints and Paul greeted them all equally. There is nothing stating either they did or did not belong to a specific congregation, but there is something specifically stating they were saints.
We as Christians have the responsibility to follow what Scripture says, not what we want it to say. Therefore, it is only what Scripture says that we can require of other Christians and from Philippians, we see that that requirement is to fellowship in the Gospel.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Is "The Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 6
When Paul starts Ephesians, he again greets those to whom he is writing;
...to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus," v. 1
So again we see two things; there are certainly local congregations, and they are one with all who are faithful.
It is an interesting question what the nature of these local congregations is. We know, from what was shown back in Acts, that there were elders in every congregation Paul had visited. We know that the elders and apostles from Jerusalem traveled frequently to help other congregations and discuss what they taught. We know regular people such as Priscilla and Aquila, and sometimes companions such as John Mark, Timothy, Titus and so forth also were well known in a variety of conversations.
It also seems reasonable to assume that some people did not travel at all but simply attended the same congregation all the time. But...it is important to note that is an assumption. To this point we certainly have seen no clear example of that. We definitely need to differentiate between what we know and what we think we know. This is a fine example of what we think we know, though things such as knowing some Christians were slaves and probably incapable of travel lends a great deal of weight to that thought.
As Paul continues, he again clearly links the Christians in Ephesus with Christians not in Ephesus, pointing out we were chosen to be holy and blameless (v. 4) and were are adopted as children by Jesus (v. 5).
We are also told where our redemption comes from; the blood of Christ (v.7). It is certainly worth harmonizing this with the rest of Scripture. When, where, how and why do you come in contact with the blood of Christ? Put some time into that study.
Sometimes there are questions to which the answers are known, other times questions to which they are not. So here is a question for you; how did the Christians in Ephesus show their love 'to all the saints" as it states in vs. 15?
This is not an idle question but rather one designed to get the reader thinking. the theme of the chapter and following verses certainly provide some clues to the answer.
We also have yet another important verse that illustrates a basic Christian truth; all saints are part of THE church. When I emphasize the word "the" it is because all true believers are part of the same church. Read verses 22-23 very carefully. This is explicitly stated. The church is the body of Christ.
This is one of those places where the chapter and verse divisions is rather unfortunate. As you probably know, those divisions were established around 1227, although an alternate version popped up between 1244 and 1248. What we know is by the publication of the Wycliffe version in 1382 accepted the divisions generally attributed to Stephen Langton in 1227.
The point is the divisions are not inspired. Sometimes they break up a context as they do between the end of Chapter 1 and chapter 2. The entire second chapter belongs with the verse talking about the church being the body of Christ.
Paul spends the second chapter reinforcing this basic truth. Verse 5 discusses us being quickened together with Christ. We are compared to aliens from the nation of Israel but now bought by the blood of Christ (v. 13) and "made both one" (vs. 16).
We are to be reconciled to God "in one body by the cross" (vs. 16) which we know we participate in by crucifying our old man with Christ at the time of conversion (Romans 6:6). He comes to a thunderous conclusion, pointing out that we are "fellow-citizens" with the saints (vs. 19) and all built into one building which is the temple of God (vs. 20-22).
Thus for at least 28 verses he focuses on this theme, that the saints who believe and are saved are all built on the same foundation, that we have become one body, that we are one temple of God.
But he is not done with this theme. He continues to drive home the point that all saints are part of the same body. It is in the context of Jews and Gentiles, with those to whom he is writing being Gentiles, that in chapter three, verse 6 he states, "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel;" .
Sometimes throughout his writings Paul refers to the "mystery of the Gospel" or similar phrases and it makes verse 9 make sense in telling us our fellowship is right there; in the mystery.
Clearly, he is not sure that his point has been made as he chooses to repeat it once again in chapter 4.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (v. 4) One Lord, one faith, one baptism (v. 5), One God and Father of all..." (v. 6).
If the unity of believers is not established by this point then it never will be. It has been his theme from the very greeting where he groups those in Ephesus with the faithful in Christ Jesus. He then clarifies the point of why there is this unity;
We have already seen that apostles, evangelists, prophets and teachers travel between the churches as need or wish arises. In verses 11-16 he tells us what their purpose is; to bring us to the unity of the faith (vs. 13) and knowledge of the Son of God, forming the whole body (v. 16).
At this point verse 25 seems like overkill. He has already emphasized the unity of those who are believers.
We do see some exceptions to the unity, however. Chapter 5, verses 3 - 5 show us some exceptions. This is not the first such list in Scripture, nor is it the last, but it is in the context of showing who is and who is not unified in Christ.
We are not of these people. We who are Christians are children of light (v. 8).
Since the theme of Ephesians is unity, he draws it together once more. Chapter 5:19-32 show us clearly that the church is the figurative wife of Christ. All the church. All who believe. All Christians are to share with one another in a variety of ways (v. 19), to submit to one another (v.21), and as a church to be subject to Christ (v. 23).
The purpose is to present a holy and blameless church (v. 27), of which all Christians are members (v. 30). He compares the church to a marriage repeatedly throughout this passage, interweaving the two. The husband and wife become one flesh just as the church becomes one flesh.
The idea of placing fellowship in an individual congregation certainly seems contrary to this concept, as Christ would then be joined to several bodies rather than to one. It would seem that in a book which speaks so eloquently on how the body of Christ is unified he could take time out to point out that each individual body is unified if that were the case, but instead he eschews that in favor of emphasizing that all believers are part of one body.
It is interesting that in his concluding remarks, he points to Tychicus as first a brother (6:21) and then a minister. It seems to once more emphasize the unity of the saints, as does his last remarks in verse 24: he extends his blessing, written in this letter, to "all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 24).
I think this points to one of the flaws with how Christians study the Bible. I myself encountered a similar difficulty when I taught a class. Many Christians know so little about the history of the Bible and the difference between what is inspired and what is not that they for some time refused to accept the idea that not only the verse and chapter divisions were not inspired, they did not believe headings such as "concluding benediction", which is above verse 21 in my edition of the King James, were not inspired.
It also means when they see the title "The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians" they might mistakenly think it was written only to the Ephesians even though the most cursory glance at just the first and last words of the book clearly state that he was intending this to be to the entire body of the saints.
Little things like this are not little as they can lead us to false conclusions. This book is nothing short of a powerhouse tour de force of explanation that Christians are unified in one body and need to be working together.
There is but one Lord in whom we believe.
There is but one faith we can hold.
There is but one baptism we participate in.
There is but one body to which we belong.
To say otherwise is to contradict the introductory greeting, to contradict the theme of the book, to contradict verse after verse, thought after thought. It is to contradict the concluding blessing. But can it harmonize with other Scriptures? We will keep looking.
...to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus," v. 1
So again we see two things; there are certainly local congregations, and they are one with all who are faithful.
It is an interesting question what the nature of these local congregations is. We know, from what was shown back in Acts, that there were elders in every congregation Paul had visited. We know that the elders and apostles from Jerusalem traveled frequently to help other congregations and discuss what they taught. We know regular people such as Priscilla and Aquila, and sometimes companions such as John Mark, Timothy, Titus and so forth also were well known in a variety of conversations.
It also seems reasonable to assume that some people did not travel at all but simply attended the same congregation all the time. But...it is important to note that is an assumption. To this point we certainly have seen no clear example of that. We definitely need to differentiate between what we know and what we think we know. This is a fine example of what we think we know, though things such as knowing some Christians were slaves and probably incapable of travel lends a great deal of weight to that thought.
As Paul continues, he again clearly links the Christians in Ephesus with Christians not in Ephesus, pointing out we were chosen to be holy and blameless (v. 4) and were are adopted as children by Jesus (v. 5).
We are also told where our redemption comes from; the blood of Christ (v.7). It is certainly worth harmonizing this with the rest of Scripture. When, where, how and why do you come in contact with the blood of Christ? Put some time into that study.
Sometimes there are questions to which the answers are known, other times questions to which they are not. So here is a question for you; how did the Christians in Ephesus show their love 'to all the saints" as it states in vs. 15?
This is not an idle question but rather one designed to get the reader thinking. the theme of the chapter and following verses certainly provide some clues to the answer.
We also have yet another important verse that illustrates a basic Christian truth; all saints are part of THE church. When I emphasize the word "the" it is because all true believers are part of the same church. Read verses 22-23 very carefully. This is explicitly stated. The church is the body of Christ.
This is one of those places where the chapter and verse divisions is rather unfortunate. As you probably know, those divisions were established around 1227, although an alternate version popped up between 1244 and 1248. What we know is by the publication of the Wycliffe version in 1382 accepted the divisions generally attributed to Stephen Langton in 1227.
The point is the divisions are not inspired. Sometimes they break up a context as they do between the end of Chapter 1 and chapter 2. The entire second chapter belongs with the verse talking about the church being the body of Christ.
Paul spends the second chapter reinforcing this basic truth. Verse 5 discusses us being quickened together with Christ. We are compared to aliens from the nation of Israel but now bought by the blood of Christ (v. 13) and "made both one" (vs. 16).
We are to be reconciled to God "in one body by the cross" (vs. 16) which we know we participate in by crucifying our old man with Christ at the time of conversion (Romans 6:6). He comes to a thunderous conclusion, pointing out that we are "fellow-citizens" with the saints (vs. 19) and all built into one building which is the temple of God (vs. 20-22).
Thus for at least 28 verses he focuses on this theme, that the saints who believe and are saved are all built on the same foundation, that we have become one body, that we are one temple of God.
But he is not done with this theme. He continues to drive home the point that all saints are part of the same body. It is in the context of Jews and Gentiles, with those to whom he is writing being Gentiles, that in chapter three, verse 6 he states, "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel;" .
Sometimes throughout his writings Paul refers to the "mystery of the Gospel" or similar phrases and it makes verse 9 make sense in telling us our fellowship is right there; in the mystery.
Clearly, he is not sure that his point has been made as he chooses to repeat it once again in chapter 4.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (v. 4) One Lord, one faith, one baptism (v. 5), One God and Father of all..." (v. 6).
If the unity of believers is not established by this point then it never will be. It has been his theme from the very greeting where he groups those in Ephesus with the faithful in Christ Jesus. He then clarifies the point of why there is this unity;
We have already seen that apostles, evangelists, prophets and teachers travel between the churches as need or wish arises. In verses 11-16 he tells us what their purpose is; to bring us to the unity of the faith (vs. 13) and knowledge of the Son of God, forming the whole body (v. 16).
At this point verse 25 seems like overkill. He has already emphasized the unity of those who are believers.
We do see some exceptions to the unity, however. Chapter 5, verses 3 - 5 show us some exceptions. This is not the first such list in Scripture, nor is it the last, but it is in the context of showing who is and who is not unified in Christ.
We are not of these people. We who are Christians are children of light (v. 8).
Since the theme of Ephesians is unity, he draws it together once more. Chapter 5:19-32 show us clearly that the church is the figurative wife of Christ. All the church. All who believe. All Christians are to share with one another in a variety of ways (v. 19), to submit to one another (v.21), and as a church to be subject to Christ (v. 23).
The purpose is to present a holy and blameless church (v. 27), of which all Christians are members (v. 30). He compares the church to a marriage repeatedly throughout this passage, interweaving the two. The husband and wife become one flesh just as the church becomes one flesh.
The idea of placing fellowship in an individual congregation certainly seems contrary to this concept, as Christ would then be joined to several bodies rather than to one. It would seem that in a book which speaks so eloquently on how the body of Christ is unified he could take time out to point out that each individual body is unified if that were the case, but instead he eschews that in favor of emphasizing that all believers are part of one body.
It is interesting that in his concluding remarks, he points to Tychicus as first a brother (6:21) and then a minister. It seems to once more emphasize the unity of the saints, as does his last remarks in verse 24: he extends his blessing, written in this letter, to "all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 24).
I think this points to one of the flaws with how Christians study the Bible. I myself encountered a similar difficulty when I taught a class. Many Christians know so little about the history of the Bible and the difference between what is inspired and what is not that they for some time refused to accept the idea that not only the verse and chapter divisions were not inspired, they did not believe headings such as "concluding benediction", which is above verse 21 in my edition of the King James, were not inspired.
It also means when they see the title "The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians" they might mistakenly think it was written only to the Ephesians even though the most cursory glance at just the first and last words of the book clearly state that he was intending this to be to the entire body of the saints.
Little things like this are not little as they can lead us to false conclusions. This book is nothing short of a powerhouse tour de force of explanation that Christians are unified in one body and need to be working together.
There is but one Lord in whom we believe.
There is but one faith we can hold.
There is but one baptism we participate in.
There is but one body to which we belong.
To say otherwise is to contradict the introductory greeting, to contradict the theme of the book, to contradict verse after verse, thought after thought. It is to contradict the concluding blessing. But can it harmonize with other Scriptures? We will keep looking.
An example in action
This morning in the announcements, his words were, "and to our visitors we extend the right hand of fellowship".
Such a simple sentence, but such deep meaning. I talked to him for a few minutes after about what constitutes fellowship and what doesn't. Here is a guy who is not an evangelist, elder or deacon but understands the very basic tenement of Christianity; all who are faithful to God are already in fellowship.
If I have time I will go into a brief discussion of Brother Hollingsworth's Communion talk as well as it was one of the three or four I remember best, right up there with Dan nelson's "benchmarks". Very, very good stuff but at the moment, just thought I should write about Ron so I do not forget.
Such a simple sentence, but such deep meaning. I talked to him for a few minutes after about what constitutes fellowship and what doesn't. Here is a guy who is not an evangelist, elder or deacon but understands the very basic tenement of Christianity; all who are faithful to God are already in fellowship.
If I have time I will go into a brief discussion of Brother Hollingsworth's Communion talk as well as it was one of the three or four I remember best, right up there with Dan nelson's "benchmarks". Very, very good stuff but at the moment, just thought I should write about Ron so I do not forget.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Is "The Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 5
In Galatians 1-2 Paul gives his customary greeting. He and those with him are brethren to the place he is writing. In verses 3 and 4 he points out again our unity through redemption from sin via the sacrifice of Christ.
There is only one gospel. This is a vital point to Paul which he will emphasize in verse 6-10. Servants of Christ preach the accurate Gospel, not one which is their own idea or consists of things not found in Scripture. The gospel already presented is the only one acceptable and any who preaches a different gospel is accursed.
But keep reading the chapter. Paul uses the term "church of God" interchangeably with "the churches of Judea" (vs. 13 and 22). Paul persecuted the church of God yet we know he traveled to do so (as Saul).
Who did Paul consult with in Damascus before going to see Peter? It is interesting to note he ended up preaching the same gospel (4:1-2). And reassuring. And as you study chapter 2, you see that they discussed the gospel that had been preached by Paul, and when that is completed they admit that yes, they believe the same thing and are therefore in fellowship already (v. 9). It is interesting to note the hand of fellowship was extended as they were leaving after determining they taught the same gospel.
Yet even in fellowship, when Peter acts wrong, Paul stands up to him (v. 11) and goes back to emphasize that unity is not with false teaching but in Christ (vs. 20).
In chapter three he begins comparing the church to the seed of Abraham, leading up to this explosive verse, verse 16: Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ"
Even the most cursory study of the Old Testament shows us there were 12 or 13 tribes depending on how you consider the half-tribe of Benjamin. Yet they were considered one seed. The church is then called the children of Abraham (vs. 7) which then clearly shows the church is one seed no matter how many tribes it may consist of. A man of Gad was a child of Abraham. A man of Dan was a child of Abraham. A Christian of Rio de Janeiro is a child of Abraham.
Lest this should be unclear we are provided verses 22-29. See particularly verse 26-27; For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
He is in a sense returning to the theme that ran through I Corinthians; there are two states. You have put on Christ or you have not. as we saw in Galatians 2, if you have put on Christ then you are in fellowship with all others who have done the same.
Galatians 4:5-6 again says we are unified as sons of God.
Those who are not unified are not of God. Galatians 4:22-23. If you are not in fellowship with other Christians then you are of the flesh. That is a bad place to be.
If you question that, see verses 28-30.
Paul will twice more emphasize the unity of all Christians; verse 10 where we shall do good to "the household of faith" and vs 16 where "as many as walk according to this rule" are grouped together.
Again we see there is no distinction based on location or elders or deacons or apostles; the only division is those who believe contrasted with those who do not.
Things to consider deeply.
There is only one gospel. This is a vital point to Paul which he will emphasize in verse 6-10. Servants of Christ preach the accurate Gospel, not one which is their own idea or consists of things not found in Scripture. The gospel already presented is the only one acceptable and any who preaches a different gospel is accursed.
But keep reading the chapter. Paul uses the term "church of God" interchangeably with "the churches of Judea" (vs. 13 and 22). Paul persecuted the church of God yet we know he traveled to do so (as Saul).
Who did Paul consult with in Damascus before going to see Peter? It is interesting to note he ended up preaching the same gospel (4:1-2). And reassuring. And as you study chapter 2, you see that they discussed the gospel that had been preached by Paul, and when that is completed they admit that yes, they believe the same thing and are therefore in fellowship already (v. 9). It is interesting to note the hand of fellowship was extended as they were leaving after determining they taught the same gospel.
Yet even in fellowship, when Peter acts wrong, Paul stands up to him (v. 11) and goes back to emphasize that unity is not with false teaching but in Christ (vs. 20).
In chapter three he begins comparing the church to the seed of Abraham, leading up to this explosive verse, verse 16: Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ"
Even the most cursory study of the Old Testament shows us there were 12 or 13 tribes depending on how you consider the half-tribe of Benjamin. Yet they were considered one seed. The church is then called the children of Abraham (vs. 7) which then clearly shows the church is one seed no matter how many tribes it may consist of. A man of Gad was a child of Abraham. A man of Dan was a child of Abraham. A Christian of Rio de Janeiro is a child of Abraham.
Lest this should be unclear we are provided verses 22-29. See particularly verse 26-27; For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
He is in a sense returning to the theme that ran through I Corinthians; there are two states. You have put on Christ or you have not. as we saw in Galatians 2, if you have put on Christ then you are in fellowship with all others who have done the same.
Galatians 4:5-6 again says we are unified as sons of God.
Those who are not unified are not of God. Galatians 4:22-23. If you are not in fellowship with other Christians then you are of the flesh. That is a bad place to be.
If you question that, see verses 28-30.
Paul will twice more emphasize the unity of all Christians; verse 10 where we shall do good to "the household of faith" and vs 16 where "as many as walk according to this rule" are grouped together.
Again we see there is no distinction based on location or elders or deacons or apostles; the only division is those who believe contrasted with those who do not.
Things to consider deeply.
Is "The Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 4
In part 4 we will begin in the next book in sequence which is of course II Corinthians.
Beginning in the first verse of the first chapter, Paul again clarifies that when he writes to one he writes to many. "...unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia..."
First we note there is an established assembly at Corinth and that there is a larger pool of saints in Achaia.
And they all fall under the same umbrella in the eyes of Paul. They are clearly all united as saints.
We have already in the previous three portions well-established that Paul and a variety of companions associate freely with a wide variety of congregations and are in fellowship with each of them so I will for the most part by-pass mentions of further travels such as we see in verses 14-16.
W3e will, however, take a look at I Corinthians 1:21-22.
It is God who establishes us together in Christ. It is God who defines our fellowship.
Paul is speaking here of Timotheus*, Silvanus, Paul, and those to whom he is writing; all the saints which are in all Achaia.
Regardless of the fact they were not meeting together, all these people are established together in Christ by God. This is a pretty clear indication that people who are in Christ are in fellowship with one another even when separated by a distance...or at least, people in the same geographic area in this instance. (Note that this map is a modern map but shows the area of Achaia.)
This is a theme of II Corinthians, as we see the thought reiterated in chapter 5, verses 17-20. We who are converted are in Christ. That is our "home church", the root of our fellowship. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are in Christ. When Christians go grocery shopping, they do so in Christ, reconciled to God through Christ.
When Christians go to work, the do so in Christ, reconciled to God through Christ.
When Christians go to enjoy some recreation, perhaps golfing or having a picnic or watching a sporting event or having family and friends over for dinner, they do so in Christ, reconciled to God through Christ.
When is this not true? It is a rhetorical question asked to clearly demonstrate that Christians, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for the remainder of their faithful life, are doing everything they do in Christ, reconciled to Christ through God.
They are not "in a specific church" but rather in Christ's church, His body. That is the source and totality of their reconciliation to God according to Scripture.
The thought continues. Read chapter 6, verse 1. Paul and those working with him are working with Him...the second Him of course being Christ.
In I Corinthians we already saw that the nation of Israel was one body. In II Corinthians 6:16-18 we see the church is God's people and the church as a whole is the temple of God and the Christians are the sons and daughters of God. The passage emphasizes the unity of Christians.
There is no separation by location or by who their leader is. The Christians are unified as a temple of God and as the children of God.
In chapter 8:1-9:5 the point is a principle rather than a specific example. The various churches in Macedonia were sharing their means with the Corinthians who were in need. The King James refers to it as "the fellowship of ministering to the saints" (v. 4) and when we reach verses 13-14 we see that an abundance in one geographic location is to be used to make up a lack in another geographic location. This closely follows his telling us we are all the temple of God and shows clearly that the church is a unified whole even if the children of God are in many geographic locations.
The use of Titus to transfer the things needed from one location to another unifies this thought; spiritual abundance went one direction to fulfill those needs while monetary abundance went the other direction to fill those needs and the entire transaction was a sharing of burdens.
Geography did not separate the state of brotherhood but reinforced it. A need in one place is to be filled by the Christians who have the capability to do so and the mobility of saints and their assets is key to this function.
Titus apparently made the decision to carry things from one to the other on his own (v. 17). Paul sent with him "the brother" (v. 18) who was also sent by the churches (v. 19). Thus we see there are a variety of motivations for traveling between congregations; personal desire, helping the one we are assisting, or being sent by church leadership. All three are Scriptural according to this passage. We have examples of all three in these verses.
This is a clear indication there was a great deal of communication between the various assemblies as individuals and overall church leadership (we know the churches all had elders from where it said in Acts 14:23) were aware of needs and the need to help others was seen and acted upon.
It is not a new thought then in II Corinthians 9:7-15 when he says the giving of money in one direction and prayer in the other direction is subjection to the gospel of Christ (v. 13). The gospel of Christ then includes fellowship and sharing with the saints of God. We have already seen repeatedly and in this case specifically that the saints of God are spread throughout a wide geographic area which then means that all saints are in fellowship.
The unity of saints all belonging to Christ is again stated in II Corinthians 10:7. Yes, all who are saints belong to Christ.
II Corinthians 10:8-11:10 Read this passage, then ask yourself the question; to which church did Paul belong? He traveled extensively, stayed sometimes for short periods and sometimes for long periods in a variety of places. He reported his deeds to several places and had a special affinity for Jerusalem and Antioch. He emphasizes repeatedly that believers are part of the body of Christ, has used the symbolism of Christians being the bride of Christ.
Yet we see that even when not in Corinth he had authority in Corinth (10:8). This is his authority as an apostle and helps explain the wonderful practice wherein traveling evangelists are frequently requested to speak when they visit other congregations. Their authority as ministers of the gospel does not end at the door of the place they normally preach but extends throughout all of the church. How could this be if the church was not unified?
Is there any reason the same would not be true of elders, deacons, teachers, and Christians in general?
Just to remind us of the picture he used in the prior letter, Paul again says the church is espoused to one husband (11:2) and if the various churches were various brides, Christ would be a polygamist which would be a clear contradiction of New Testament teaching.
So clearly, the fellowship of believers extends beyond wherever you are. If you are an evangelist in Newark, New Jersey then you are an evangelist when you go to Athens, Greece and vice versa. The same holds true for whatever position you hold within the church, whether it is something that is a Scriptural office or if "merely" a believer. And being a believer is not a "merely" in the eyes of God but truly a gift He has given us.
He restates this in 11:28, telling us it is his duty to care for 'all the churches".
In his conclusion, II Corinthians 13:5 tells us yet again how we know whether we are part of the body of Christ, whether we are a son or daughter of God, whether we are part of the body of Christ; "...examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith..."
Again, it is not specified to a location but simply whether a person is in the faith.
In the studies so far we have seen numerous examples of unity in God of churches in a variety of geographical locations. We have seen that authority held in one location transfers to another. We have seen we exist in one of two states; disciple or not disciple. We have seen examples of conversions. We have seen examples of sharing. We have garnered principles of unity.
But we have yet to see a single command, example, or principle that shows a person belongs to an individual congregation and not to the entirety of them. We shall keep looking for that.
* When putting together this study I primarily worked from the King James and so use the spellings found therein for Timothy and so forth.
Beginning in the first verse of the first chapter, Paul again clarifies that when he writes to one he writes to many. "...unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia..."
First we note there is an established assembly at Corinth and that there is a larger pool of saints in Achaia.
And they all fall under the same umbrella in the eyes of Paul. They are clearly all united as saints.
We have already in the previous three portions well-established that Paul and a variety of companions associate freely with a wide variety of congregations and are in fellowship with each of them so I will for the most part by-pass mentions of further travels such as we see in verses 14-16.
W3e will, however, take a look at I Corinthians 1:21-22.
It is God who establishes us together in Christ. It is God who defines our fellowship.
Paul is speaking here of Timotheus*, Silvanus, Paul, and those to whom he is writing; all the saints which are in all Achaia.
Regardless of the fact they were not meeting together, all these people are established together in Christ by God. This is a pretty clear indication that people who are in Christ are in fellowship with one another even when separated by a distance...or at least, people in the same geographic area in this instance. (Note that this map is a modern map but shows the area of Achaia.)
This is a theme of II Corinthians, as we see the thought reiterated in chapter 5, verses 17-20. We who are converted are in Christ. That is our "home church", the root of our fellowship. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are in Christ. When Christians go grocery shopping, they do so in Christ, reconciled to God through Christ.
When Christians go to work, the do so in Christ, reconciled to God through Christ.
When Christians go to enjoy some recreation, perhaps golfing or having a picnic or watching a sporting event or having family and friends over for dinner, they do so in Christ, reconciled to God through Christ.
When is this not true? It is a rhetorical question asked to clearly demonstrate that Christians, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for the remainder of their faithful life, are doing everything they do in Christ, reconciled to Christ through God.
They are not "in a specific church" but rather in Christ's church, His body. That is the source and totality of their reconciliation to God according to Scripture.
The thought continues. Read chapter 6, verse 1. Paul and those working with him are working with Him...the second Him of course being Christ.
In I Corinthians we already saw that the nation of Israel was one body. In II Corinthians 6:16-18 we see the church is God's people and the church as a whole is the temple of God and the Christians are the sons and daughters of God. The passage emphasizes the unity of Christians.
There is no separation by location or by who their leader is. The Christians are unified as a temple of God and as the children of God.
In chapter 8:1-9:5 the point is a principle rather than a specific example. The various churches in Macedonia were sharing their means with the Corinthians who were in need. The King James refers to it as "the fellowship of ministering to the saints" (v. 4) and when we reach verses 13-14 we see that an abundance in one geographic location is to be used to make up a lack in another geographic location. This closely follows his telling us we are all the temple of God and shows clearly that the church is a unified whole even if the children of God are in many geographic locations.
The use of Titus to transfer the things needed from one location to another unifies this thought; spiritual abundance went one direction to fulfill those needs while monetary abundance went the other direction to fill those needs and the entire transaction was a sharing of burdens.
Geography did not separate the state of brotherhood but reinforced it. A need in one place is to be filled by the Christians who have the capability to do so and the mobility of saints and their assets is key to this function.
Titus apparently made the decision to carry things from one to the other on his own (v. 17). Paul sent with him "the brother" (v. 18) who was also sent by the churches (v. 19). Thus we see there are a variety of motivations for traveling between congregations; personal desire, helping the one we are assisting, or being sent by church leadership. All three are Scriptural according to this passage. We have examples of all three in these verses.
This is a clear indication there was a great deal of communication between the various assemblies as individuals and overall church leadership (we know the churches all had elders from where it said in Acts 14:23) were aware of needs and the need to help others was seen and acted upon.
It is not a new thought then in II Corinthians 9:7-15 when he says the giving of money in one direction and prayer in the other direction is subjection to the gospel of Christ (v. 13). The gospel of Christ then includes fellowship and sharing with the saints of God. We have already seen repeatedly and in this case specifically that the saints of God are spread throughout a wide geographic area which then means that all saints are in fellowship.
The unity of saints all belonging to Christ is again stated in II Corinthians 10:7. Yes, all who are saints belong to Christ.
II Corinthians 10:8-11:10 Read this passage, then ask yourself the question; to which church did Paul belong? He traveled extensively, stayed sometimes for short periods and sometimes for long periods in a variety of places. He reported his deeds to several places and had a special affinity for Jerusalem and Antioch. He emphasizes repeatedly that believers are part of the body of Christ, has used the symbolism of Christians being the bride of Christ.
Yet we see that even when not in Corinth he had authority in Corinth (10:8). This is his authority as an apostle and helps explain the wonderful practice wherein traveling evangelists are frequently requested to speak when they visit other congregations. Their authority as ministers of the gospel does not end at the door of the place they normally preach but extends throughout all of the church. How could this be if the church was not unified?
Is there any reason the same would not be true of elders, deacons, teachers, and Christians in general?
Just to remind us of the picture he used in the prior letter, Paul again says the church is espoused to one husband (11:2) and if the various churches were various brides, Christ would be a polygamist which would be a clear contradiction of New Testament teaching.
So clearly, the fellowship of believers extends beyond wherever you are. If you are an evangelist in Newark, New Jersey then you are an evangelist when you go to Athens, Greece and vice versa. The same holds true for whatever position you hold within the church, whether it is something that is a Scriptural office or if "merely" a believer. And being a believer is not a "merely" in the eyes of God but truly a gift He has given us.
He restates this in 11:28, telling us it is his duty to care for 'all the churches".
In his conclusion, II Corinthians 13:5 tells us yet again how we know whether we are part of the body of Christ, whether we are a son or daughter of God, whether we are part of the body of Christ; "...examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith..."
Again, it is not specified to a location but simply whether a person is in the faith.
In the studies so far we have seen numerous examples of unity in God of churches in a variety of geographical locations. We have seen that authority held in one location transfers to another. We have seen we exist in one of two states; disciple or not disciple. We have seen examples of conversions. We have seen examples of sharing. We have garnered principles of unity.
But we have yet to see a single command, example, or principle that shows a person belongs to an individual congregation and not to the entirety of them. We shall keep looking for that.
* When putting together this study I primarily worked from the King James and so use the spellings found therein for Timothy and so forth.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Is "The Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 3
Due to the lengthy nature, I have divided this into several parts. Part 1 is here and part two can be found here.
As you go through these, I again encourage you to do so with Bible in hand and prayer in your heart. God's Word should not be taken lightly nor played around with.
I Corinthians 1:2 tells us who the letter is written to.
1) The church of God which is at Corinth
2) to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints
and
3) with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
So clearly there were assemblies which regularly met in specific towns. The instruction was to all Christians. they all have the same Lord.
Why would he emphasize that? After calling Jesus Christ "our Lord", Paul repeats it while pointing out it is the same Lord as that of those who in every place call upon the name of Jesus.
It is clearly a preface to the serious matter he is about to address, namely the factions and divisions that had arisen in the early church.
The gist begins in verse 10 and continues for several chapters, though he specifically addresses these divisions the first time only through verse 16.
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. (12)
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (13)
I have in the past assumed the connection is clear but apparently was wrong. Paul is emphasizing the unity of the church throughout the world. In context, you can easily replace the names of people for the names of locations.
"Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Moscow; and I of London; and I of Boston; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided?" would be the paraphrase. Since all that in every place call upon the name of the Lord have the same Lord, there can be no division between locations and anything which seeks to set up dividing lines between those congregations or between different leaders is a direct contradiction of Scripture.
In chapter 3 Paul returns to the example, this time using solely himself and Apollos. We know they were not really the ones being referenced because he explicitly states that in 4:6. But before doing so, he points out that regardless of who taught or baptized the saint, all saints belong to Christ (3:22-23)
I encourage you to go back and read chapter 3 again. Seeking to identify with anything other than Christ means you are carnal-minded (v.4) and contradicting God's plan for the church (vs. 9, 16)
Paul then sends Timotheus to continue what Paul had taught "every where in every church" (v. 17) which indicates they had worked together for quite some time if Timotheus knew the thought processes of Paul.
In chapter 6 we find some things that Christians had escaped from after which Paul returns to the figure of the body of Christ. Every Christian is part of the body of Christ (v. 15).
How many spirits are there in this sense?
He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (v. 17)
If you are joined to the Lord in that one spirit, your physical location matters not, you are joined with the entirety of the body of believers. That is the clear teaching of this passage.
Chapter 8, specifically verses 5-6, have some application but since it is a bit more abstract, I shall leave it to the reader to determine if they wish to pursue that line and we shall keep on with the clear statements regarding the matter at hand.
Chapter 10 is a lengthy dissertation that demonstrates the entire nation of Israel was one body (v. 1,2,3,4, 18) and so too is the church (v. 16-17). All who partake of the communion are one body. You cannot partake of the communion body of Christ and not be part of the Spiritual body of Christ (v. 21).
When discussing the communion further, Paul discusses divisions that are of a different nature than those he discussed earlier (v. 18). Clearly, these divisions are related to how the local congregation partook of the Lord's Supper.
He then goes into a discussion of Spiritual gifts. Beginning in 12:11 and continuing through vs. 27 he applies again the picture of the church as one body with many members.
Verse 12-once again clearly and succinctly makes a very vital statement: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ (12).
For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
As usual, the Bible says exactly what it means and what we need to follow. All who are baptized, and this has been consistent through Acts, Romans, and now I Corinthians, all who are baptized are baptized not into a congregation, not into following a particular preacher or sect or apostle, but are baptized into one body, the body of Christ.
In fact, verse 25 seems to specifically reject the idea that different congregations are to be considered separately; "that there should be no schism in the body. Any division, whether "natural" or artificial, is to be rejected. All who belong to Christ are part of the same body and not to be divided.
Now we come to what might be considered a puzzling passage if we ignore the remainder of Scripture. I Corinthians 14: 23-34. "if therefore the whole church come together" (v. 23) is followed by "let your women keep silence in the churches" (v. 34).
Is this an indication that there were multiple gatherings of people in Corinth that sometimes gathered in smaller groups and at other times came together in a relatively massive assembly? That is admittedly how I read it, though I have heard other explanations.
So which church did an individual belong to; the
sub-group", the "whole church' of Corinth that encompassed the various sub-gatherings...or the body of Christ?
This is one of the few places in Scripture where the order of service is in any way, shape or form discussed (and in an interesting side note , very seldom followed in the churches of today). If those discussed belonged solely to the Corinth church or one of the sub-groups, then all the material heretofore contradicts this passage as Paul always previously has discussed the unity of the entire body of Christ.
Conversely, if he is discussing the order of service in their specific congregation, as seems to be indicated by his comparison to "all the churches of the saints" in verse 33, then it harmonizes with the remainder of Scripture.
Quick question; who are the "saints" referenced in I Corinthians 16:1?We can see they are not the people of Galatia (vs. 1) or Corinth (vs. 2).
(Somewhat of a trick question, though not much of one if you read through I Corinthians before beginning this portion of the study as the answer is given in verse 3).
Paul then closes with his itinerary, his hopes for Timotheus, Apollos, and the travels of various people (v. 17). He discusses the greetings of various congregations and again mentions that "all the brethren" greet those in Corinth (v. 20)
So just as we saw in part 2, we note that there are individual congregations in Corinth, in households (see the verse on Priscilla and Aquila), and that they have regular interaction (chapter 14).
This time we see there are divisions creeping in revolving around who the saints followed for which they are roundly chastised and admonished to repent.
Just as a common thread running through Romans was the two possible states, the common thread running through I Corinthians has to do with the unity of the body, there being but one body. Any claim to follow anyone other than Christ is anathema to Paul. This is a lesson we would do well to learn.
As you go through these, I again encourage you to do so with Bible in hand and prayer in your heart. God's Word should not be taken lightly nor played around with.
I Corinthians 1:2 tells us who the letter is written to.
1) The church of God which is at Corinth
2) to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints
and
3) with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
So clearly there were assemblies which regularly met in specific towns. The instruction was to all Christians. they all have the same Lord.
Why would he emphasize that? After calling Jesus Christ "our Lord", Paul repeats it while pointing out it is the same Lord as that of those who in every place call upon the name of Jesus.
It is clearly a preface to the serious matter he is about to address, namely the factions and divisions that had arisen in the early church.
The gist begins in verse 10 and continues for several chapters, though he specifically addresses these divisions the first time only through verse 16.
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. (12)
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (13)
I have in the past assumed the connection is clear but apparently was wrong. Paul is emphasizing the unity of the church throughout the world. In context, you can easily replace the names of people for the names of locations.
"Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Moscow; and I of London; and I of Boston; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided?" would be the paraphrase. Since all that in every place call upon the name of the Lord have the same Lord, there can be no division between locations and anything which seeks to set up dividing lines between those congregations or between different leaders is a direct contradiction of Scripture.
In chapter 3 Paul returns to the example, this time using solely himself and Apollos. We know they were not really the ones being referenced because he explicitly states that in 4:6. But before doing so, he points out that regardless of who taught or baptized the saint, all saints belong to Christ (3:22-23)
I encourage you to go back and read chapter 3 again. Seeking to identify with anything other than Christ means you are carnal-minded (v.4) and contradicting God's plan for the church (vs. 9, 16)
Paul then sends Timotheus to continue what Paul had taught "every where in every church" (v. 17) which indicates they had worked together for quite some time if Timotheus knew the thought processes of Paul.
In chapter 6 we find some things that Christians had escaped from after which Paul returns to the figure of the body of Christ. Every Christian is part of the body of Christ (v. 15).
How many spirits are there in this sense?
He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (v. 17)
If you are joined to the Lord in that one spirit, your physical location matters not, you are joined with the entirety of the body of believers. That is the clear teaching of this passage.
Chapter 8, specifically verses 5-6, have some application but since it is a bit more abstract, I shall leave it to the reader to determine if they wish to pursue that line and we shall keep on with the clear statements regarding the matter at hand.
Chapter 10 is a lengthy dissertation that demonstrates the entire nation of Israel was one body (v. 1,2,3,4, 18) and so too is the church (v. 16-17). All who partake of the communion are one body. You cannot partake of the communion body of Christ and not be part of the Spiritual body of Christ (v. 21).
When discussing the communion further, Paul discusses divisions that are of a different nature than those he discussed earlier (v. 18). Clearly, these divisions are related to how the local congregation partook of the Lord's Supper.
He then goes into a discussion of Spiritual gifts. Beginning in 12:11 and continuing through vs. 27 he applies again the picture of the church as one body with many members.
Verse 12-once again clearly and succinctly makes a very vital statement: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ (12).
For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
As usual, the Bible says exactly what it means and what we need to follow. All who are baptized, and this has been consistent through Acts, Romans, and now I Corinthians, all who are baptized are baptized not into a congregation, not into following a particular preacher or sect or apostle, but are baptized into one body, the body of Christ.
In fact, verse 25 seems to specifically reject the idea that different congregations are to be considered separately; "that there should be no schism in the body. Any division, whether "natural" or artificial, is to be rejected. All who belong to Christ are part of the same body and not to be divided.
Now we come to what might be considered a puzzling passage if we ignore the remainder of Scripture. I Corinthians 14: 23-34. "if therefore the whole church come together" (v. 23) is followed by "let your women keep silence in the churches" (v. 34).
Is this an indication that there were multiple gatherings of people in Corinth that sometimes gathered in smaller groups and at other times came together in a relatively massive assembly? That is admittedly how I read it, though I have heard other explanations.
So which church did an individual belong to; the
sub-group", the "whole church' of Corinth that encompassed the various sub-gatherings...or the body of Christ?
This is one of the few places in Scripture where the order of service is in any way, shape or form discussed (and in an interesting side note , very seldom followed in the churches of today). If those discussed belonged solely to the Corinth church or one of the sub-groups, then all the material heretofore contradicts this passage as Paul always previously has discussed the unity of the entire body of Christ.
Conversely, if he is discussing the order of service in their specific congregation, as seems to be indicated by his comparison to "all the churches of the saints" in verse 33, then it harmonizes with the remainder of Scripture.
Quick question; who are the "saints" referenced in I Corinthians 16:1?We can see they are not the people of Galatia (vs. 1) or Corinth (vs. 2).
(Somewhat of a trick question, though not much of one if you read through I Corinthians before beginning this portion of the study as the answer is given in verse 3).
Paul then closes with his itinerary, his hopes for Timotheus, Apollos, and the travels of various people (v. 17). He discusses the greetings of various congregations and again mentions that "all the brethren" greet those in Corinth (v. 20)
So just as we saw in part 2, we note that there are individual congregations in Corinth, in households (see the verse on Priscilla and Aquila), and that they have regular interaction (chapter 14).
This time we see there are divisions creeping in revolving around who the saints followed for which they are roundly chastised and admonished to repent.
Just as a common thread running through Romans was the two possible states, the common thread running through I Corinthians has to do with the unity of the body, there being but one body. Any claim to follow anyone other than Christ is anathema to Paul. This is a lesson we would do well to learn.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Is the "Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 2
In part 1 we saw that in the early church there was no example of people placing fellowship or belonging specifically to an individual congregation exclusively but rather that people moved freely and frequently among the various faithful churches, fellowshipping with all who were disciples.
In part 2 we will begin in Romans and see what examples, commands and principles there are regarding to which individual congregation a person should belong.
Romans 1:1-8 Obedience to the faith was among all nations. There was no distinction. Rome had many saints. It is unclear if all gathered in one location or if there were multiple congregations within the city. All we know for sure is all in Rome called saints were the recipients of this greeting.
We can extrapolate that there was interaction between the saints at Rome and the saints elsewhere from verse 8, as we clearly see their reputation had spread. As we shall see later, this may partially have been through the written word as letter-writing was obviously quite extensive in the early church, but as we saw in part one, so was travel both of apostles, prophets and teachers, but also of those who were companions (Timothy being a fine example) or just traveling on their own (Priscilla and Aquila).
Romans 3 takes up a line of thought that when it comes to salvation, it does not matter if a person is Jew or Gentile. In the end, "it is one God, which shall justify..." (v. 30). If there is one God who justifies and it matters not if those justified are Jew or Gentile, then their location would seem on the surface to be of little import. There are two states: justified or not justified.
Romans 4:7 reinforces this point; either iniquities are forgiven or they are not.
To clarify, either you have been saved or you have not.
This concept of 2 states, either saved or condemned, is an ongoing theme. I encourage you to read the entire book of course, and read each chapter again as you come across these points. Chapter 5, particularly v6, continues the theme, telling us Christ died for the ungodly.
The context is He died for both Jew and Gentile, that at this point it matters only if a person is forgiven or not, if they are still in their sins or have had those sins removed.
Verse 12- 19 show that all have sin and therefore all need to come to repentance.
Pay close attention to verse 18; we are dealing with all men everywhere.
And now we must pause as we come to Romans 6. For the first time in his written work, Paul will tell us how we can receive forgiveness of sin. Here we have specific instruction on the plan of salvation.
Romans 6: 3-10 When you are baptized, it is into the death of Jesus. Your old man, the man of sin, is symbolically crucified with Christ. He is dead and gone, to trouble you no more.
We are raised to live a new life, a life of purity and holiness, a life dedicated to serving Christ.
Verse 10 explicitly states that the new life we live, we "liveth unto God".
The relationship we bear is between God and ourselves. The life we lead is to God, for God, and about God.
So if baptism is the moment when our old man is crucified, when we enter into a new life with our Savior, when our sins are forgiven, when our new responsibilities to show the new man and take on his rights and responsibilities, would this not be a great location for Scripture to tell us we now belong to the local church?
But it does not; instead, it tells us we belong to God. We are "servants of righteousness" (v. 18), and"servants to God (v. 22).
In chapter 7 we begin looking at the believers as belonging to the body of Christ. Verse 4 pictures us as married to the body of Christ.
This is a very important concept. When you are baptized, you become part of the body of Christ, married to Christ in a figurative sense. Again, looking back at the theme of two states of being, we are presented two possible states:
Either you ARE part of the body of Christ.
Or you are not.
There is no state of "I am part of the body of Christ in Timbuktu but not in Moscow".
There is only this; part or not part.
Chapter 8 again points out the two states which are possible; under condemnation or not under condemnation (verse 1). Seeking after the flesh or seeking after the spirit (v. 4-9)
Are we in the flesh or the Spirit? (v. 9) If in the Spirit, then the Spirit of God dwells in us. Verse 10 is so important I will quote the King James version: "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of unrighteousness."
Either you have the spirit of death or the Spirit of righteousness. There is no other possibility.
As important as that is, perhaps even more important in the context of this study would be verse 14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Either you are led by the Spirit or you are lost. You are the son of God or you are not.
All who are led by the Spirit, wherever they are, are sons of God. If you are a son of God, you are brother to the person who is the son of God living in the Andes Mountains of South America, to the Kenyan tribesman who is the son of God, and to the next door neighbor who is the son of God.
2 states. You are or you are not.
Do not believe me? Read Romans 8:14-17. We are the children of God and joint-heirs.
Keep reading. All creation groans together and waits together (v. 22-23).
In chapter 9 Paul laments the state of Israel and compares the church to the nation of Israel. Verse 24-26 tell us we who serve God have the status once imputed to Israel; "there shall they be called the children of the living God."
Again and again we see that either you are or are not the child of God. It matters not where you live or which congregation of believers you are with at any given moment; either you are the child of God or you are not.
Romans 10:8-13 often get glossed over in the various churches of our association for they specifically state that "and shalt believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (v.9). They should not be glossed over but celebrated for we know that all Scripture fits together. The person who believes will follow the entire Gospel. All Scripture must fit together and any Scripture which can be taken two ways, one of which fits with the rest of Scripture and the other which would contradict it, must by definition follow the first.
In chapter 12 we get a specific command on how to serve God. We are to present ourselves to God as a "living sacrifice" (v. 1-2).
We are then told there are many members of one body (v.4) and then comes yet another key verse.
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (v5)
He goes on to talk about the different functions various people have. Prophecy, ministering to others, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, showing mercy. All these things are between the saints.
We have already seen the entire book showing there are exactly 2 possible states; saved or not. If you are saved, you are part of one body. If you are not, then you are not.
Just to emphasize this, check out Romans 14:7-8.
When Paul is making his plans, he shows there is still a lot of interaction between the saints in the various locations (15:16-26).
Romans 16 will list several people;
Phebe is specifically a "servant of the church which is at Cenchrea" (v. 1) who is apparently traveling as she needs to be received by those to whom Paul is writing (v2).
this is the first time in the New Testament that someone is spoken of specifically being a servant of one particular congregation and that is important to note.
Next up are Priscilla and Aquila who we have already seen in several places as they journey about the known world making tents and working for God. Yet at this point in time they have a church in their house (v.5) and are owed a debt by "all the churches of the Gentiles" (v.4).
Right on down through verse 16 we receive name after name. It is uncertain where these individuals are at, though we can certainly extrapolate they are somewhere in Rome (Romans 1:7) since that is who Paul is writing to. We can also extrapolate that Rome has several churches as there is one in the household of Priscilla and Aquila (16:5), there are more than one churches of the Gentiles (16:4), and there is another congregation revolving around the people named in verse 14.
So clearly, there were people who associated primarily, though not exclusively, with individual congregations.
And all through the book we have seen they existed in one of 2 states; part of the body of Christ or not part of the body.
So despite copious opportunities in Acts to show conversion as including belonging to a specific congregation, there is no recorded instance of so doing. In Romans we have a great deal of teaching showing that all who believe are part of one body and are either in or out of grace. The various assemblies had a great deal of interaction and knew each other well which indicates a large deal of mingling from some source.
So to this point we can neither confirm nor deny that placing fellowship or having a home church is either Scriptural or anti-Scriptural, though to this point the evidence is clear that a person belongs to the body of Christ, not to an individual location.
In part 2 we will begin in Romans and see what examples, commands and principles there are regarding to which individual congregation a person should belong.
Romans 1:1-8 Obedience to the faith was among all nations. There was no distinction. Rome had many saints. It is unclear if all gathered in one location or if there were multiple congregations within the city. All we know for sure is all in Rome called saints were the recipients of this greeting.
We can extrapolate that there was interaction between the saints at Rome and the saints elsewhere from verse 8, as we clearly see their reputation had spread. As we shall see later, this may partially have been through the written word as letter-writing was obviously quite extensive in the early church, but as we saw in part one, so was travel both of apostles, prophets and teachers, but also of those who were companions (Timothy being a fine example) or just traveling on their own (Priscilla and Aquila).
Romans 3 takes up a line of thought that when it comes to salvation, it does not matter if a person is Jew or Gentile. In the end, "it is one God, which shall justify..." (v. 30). If there is one God who justifies and it matters not if those justified are Jew or Gentile, then their location would seem on the surface to be of little import. There are two states: justified or not justified.
Romans 4:7 reinforces this point; either iniquities are forgiven or they are not.
To clarify, either you have been saved or you have not.
This concept of 2 states, either saved or condemned, is an ongoing theme. I encourage you to read the entire book of course, and read each chapter again as you come across these points. Chapter 5, particularly v6, continues the theme, telling us Christ died for the ungodly.
The context is He died for both Jew and Gentile, that at this point it matters only if a person is forgiven or not, if they are still in their sins or have had those sins removed.
Verse 12- 19 show that all have sin and therefore all need to come to repentance.
Pay close attention to verse 18; we are dealing with all men everywhere.
And now we must pause as we come to Romans 6. For the first time in his written work, Paul will tell us how we can receive forgiveness of sin. Here we have specific instruction on the plan of salvation.
Romans 6: 3-10 When you are baptized, it is into the death of Jesus. Your old man, the man of sin, is symbolically crucified with Christ. He is dead and gone, to trouble you no more.
We are raised to live a new life, a life of purity and holiness, a life dedicated to serving Christ.
Verse 10 explicitly states that the new life we live, we "liveth unto God".
The relationship we bear is between God and ourselves. The life we lead is to God, for God, and about God.
So if baptism is the moment when our old man is crucified, when we enter into a new life with our Savior, when our sins are forgiven, when our new responsibilities to show the new man and take on his rights and responsibilities, would this not be a great location for Scripture to tell us we now belong to the local church?
But it does not; instead, it tells us we belong to God. We are "servants of righteousness" (v. 18), and"servants to God (v. 22).
In chapter 7 we begin looking at the believers as belonging to the body of Christ. Verse 4 pictures us as married to the body of Christ.
This is a very important concept. When you are baptized, you become part of the body of Christ, married to Christ in a figurative sense. Again, looking back at the theme of two states of being, we are presented two possible states:
Either you ARE part of the body of Christ.
Or you are not.
There is no state of "I am part of the body of Christ in Timbuktu but not in Moscow".
There is only this; part or not part.
Chapter 8 again points out the two states which are possible; under condemnation or not under condemnation (verse 1). Seeking after the flesh or seeking after the spirit (v. 4-9)
Are we in the flesh or the Spirit? (v. 9) If in the Spirit, then the Spirit of God dwells in us. Verse 10 is so important I will quote the King James version: "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of unrighteousness."
Either you have the spirit of death or the Spirit of righteousness. There is no other possibility.
As important as that is, perhaps even more important in the context of this study would be verse 14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Either you are led by the Spirit or you are lost. You are the son of God or you are not.
All who are led by the Spirit, wherever they are, are sons of God. If you are a son of God, you are brother to the person who is the son of God living in the Andes Mountains of South America, to the Kenyan tribesman who is the son of God, and to the next door neighbor who is the son of God.
2 states. You are or you are not.
Do not believe me? Read Romans 8:14-17. We are the children of God and joint-heirs.
Keep reading. All creation groans together and waits together (v. 22-23).
In chapter 9 Paul laments the state of Israel and compares the church to the nation of Israel. Verse 24-26 tell us we who serve God have the status once imputed to Israel; "there shall they be called the children of the living God."
Again and again we see that either you are or are not the child of God. It matters not where you live or which congregation of believers you are with at any given moment; either you are the child of God or you are not.
Romans 10:8-13 often get glossed over in the various churches of our association for they specifically state that "and shalt believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (v.9). They should not be glossed over but celebrated for we know that all Scripture fits together. The person who believes will follow the entire Gospel. All Scripture must fit together and any Scripture which can be taken two ways, one of which fits with the rest of Scripture and the other which would contradict it, must by definition follow the first.
In chapter 12 we get a specific command on how to serve God. We are to present ourselves to God as a "living sacrifice" (v. 1-2).
We are then told there are many members of one body (v.4) and then comes yet another key verse.
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (v5)
He goes on to talk about the different functions various people have. Prophecy, ministering to others, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, showing mercy. All these things are between the saints.
We have already seen the entire book showing there are exactly 2 possible states; saved or not. If you are saved, you are part of one body. If you are not, then you are not.
Just to emphasize this, check out Romans 14:7-8.
When Paul is making his plans, he shows there is still a lot of interaction between the saints in the various locations (15:16-26).
Romans 16 will list several people;
Phebe is specifically a "servant of the church which is at Cenchrea" (v. 1) who is apparently traveling as she needs to be received by those to whom Paul is writing (v2).
this is the first time in the New Testament that someone is spoken of specifically being a servant of one particular congregation and that is important to note.
Next up are Priscilla and Aquila who we have already seen in several places as they journey about the known world making tents and working for God. Yet at this point in time they have a church in their house (v.5) and are owed a debt by "all the churches of the Gentiles" (v.4).
Right on down through verse 16 we receive name after name. It is uncertain where these individuals are at, though we can certainly extrapolate they are somewhere in Rome (Romans 1:7) since that is who Paul is writing to. We can also extrapolate that Rome has several churches as there is one in the household of Priscilla and Aquila (16:5), there are more than one churches of the Gentiles (16:4), and there is another congregation revolving around the people named in verse 14.
So clearly, there were people who associated primarily, though not exclusively, with individual congregations.
And all through the book we have seen they existed in one of 2 states; part of the body of Christ or not part of the body.
So despite copious opportunities in Acts to show conversion as including belonging to a specific congregation, there is no recorded instance of so doing. In Romans we have a great deal of teaching showing that all who believe are part of one body and are either in or out of grace. The various assemblies had a great deal of interaction and knew each other well which indicates a large deal of mingling from some source.
So to this point we can neither confirm nor deny that placing fellowship or having a home church is either Scriptural or anti-Scriptural, though to this point the evidence is clear that a person belongs to the body of Christ, not to an individual location.
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